Sunday, June 04, 2017

Mayor Eric Garcetti says he is worried that arrests of immigrants by federal authorities could trigger riots in Los Angeles and put police officers in danger.

In an interview last week with the radio show Latino USA about President Trump’s immigration policies, Garcetti said relations between the Los Angeles Police Department and the community have improved in the last few decades.

But that trust is tested when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents portray themselves as police officers or are mistaken for police when making arrests, the mayor said.

“If something goes wrong, I fear a tinderbox out there. Where people will suddenly say ‘no’ and try to defend, keep that person from being taken,” Garcetti said. “That’s dangerous for those officers. That’s dangerous for those agents. And we’re going to have to respond.”